Charles Major, the novelist, was born at Indianapolis, Indiana, July
25, 1856. He was educated at the common schools at Shelbyville and
Indianapolis, after which he studied law and engaged in practice at
Shelbyville. But his literary tastes were stronger than his legal
inclinations, and he began to contribute to magazines and to write
novels. His most famous book, When Knighthood was in Flower, was issued
in 1898, and reached an edition of several hundred thousand. In 1885 he
was married to Alice Shaw.